this baby will break some jaws

Mark!! :00

Sometimes, it pays off to take a chance on an underdog. I learned that the day I met Lux, even though I didn't know it at the time. Nothing is more fierce and more forgiving than the heart of a good horse.

It was early, I was still yawning and rubbing sleep from my eyes when I pulled into the stock auction. I clutched my cup of coffee like it was the elixir of life, taking steady sips as I turned off my truck and pulled a beanie on. It was early spring, still crisp enough in the mornings to need some warm layers. A few other people were already milling around outside, greeting familiar faces and eyeing the horses and cattle in the paddocks.

Inside the barn was warm and full of the comforting smell of fresh hay and shavings. Most horses were busy, heads down munching away on their breakfast before the auction started. I milled about quietly, just taking a moment to see what caught my eye. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, maybe a new horse to add to the lesson string or a project to resell. Up and down the aisles I walked, peering through the fence at a little chestnut Quarter Horse, a leggy bay Thoroughbred, and a black pony so fuzzy you could barely tell which end was which. Nothing out of the ordinary in a stock auction.

At the last stall in the barn, a bit tucked away in a dim corner, was what I originally thought was just a heap of shavings until I saw an ear twitch. I glanced at the sign on the fence. It read: #100, STALLION, BREED UNKNOWN, HEALTH CHECK UNKNOWN, ANONYMOUS SELLER.

I stepped closer, looking at the poor creature curled up trying to enjoy the last few moments of freedom granted by sleep. I gasped softly, taken aback by the state of the horse laying in the stall. He was incredibly dirty, covered in manure and shavings. He looked skinny, his dull coat coming out in patches. His tail was wispy, and his mane was almost nonexistent. At first glance you might not even realize the horse was partly white through the muck and grime stained on its fur.

My gasp must have just been enough to wake the poor thing because he flinched, his eyelids fluttering open from what hopefully was a dream. He stood up slowly on shaky legs, taking a few steps forward to look at me through the fence. Somehow, miraculously, there was a shine to his eyes, a glow of determination as he looked at me and I looked at him. How could a horse in such poor condition still have life left in him? I swore under my breath, cursing my bleeding heart and sparse bank account. I came to this auction looking for something easy, but how could I walk away from this poor beast?

The question haunted me the rest of the morning until the auction started. I took my place in the stands watching as horses and cattle paraded in and out, all of them in good shape other than the poor little stallion who I couldn't stop thinking about. Maybe I was a fool to consider purchasing this horse who seemed like he was on death's doorstep to begin with. But something about the look in his eye said he wanted to fight, to fight to live.

Finally, agonizingly, it was almost time for the mystery stallion. Numbers 97, 98, and 99 all came and went, being bought by lesson barns or private owners without much to do. But when my mystery stallion entered the ring it was silent. No friendly banter or bidding back and forth. Despite his horrid state, he walked with dignity, holding his head high and pranced as he trotted.

"We'll start the bidding at $100, do I hear $100?" The auctioneer rambled over the loudspeaker. The silence was deafening as the poor horse was hand walked back and forth. With a sudden jolt of energy I was standing up right out of my seat.

"One hundred dollars!" I yelled, the silence was shattered. A few other auction goers shook their heads, whispering to one another that the horse should just be put out of its misery. But I knew better, I knew that this horse had fight left in him.

"Ooooone hundred going once, going twice..." The auctioneer let his words hang in the air for an agonizingly long time.

"SOLD!" He cried, and the stallion was lead out back to the barn. I almost collapsed, I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath almost this entire time. I practically leapt over the stadium seats towards the barn to see the horse I now own.

There he was, back in his corner stall with a SOLD sign in big red letters now hanging off the door. I let myself into the stall, and the horse looked up at me. I cooed sweet words at him, not wanting to startle him, having no idea how tame he was. He eyed me cautiously, yet confidently.

"It'll be okay now. I don't know what happened to you, but I promise that it'll never happen again." I promised, offering my hand for him to sniff. Immediately, he stepped forward and pressed his velvet nose into my palm, closed his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he too knew after his long journey, he was going home.

●●●

A few months passed since that day at the auctions. I named the stallion Lux to honor the light of his eyes despite his horrible condition. The first few weeks all he did was eat and sleep, probably catching up on weeks or months of sleep debt and starvation before he came to Oak Haven. I spent time with him every day, and every milestone was a celebration. His first bath that uncovered his gorgeous color, his first time meeting the barn cats, the first time he nickered to me when I walked into the barn. The healthier Lux became, the more of his personality showed through. He was silly, confident, and curious. After many vet checks and careful waiting he was turned out with other horses and he raced around the paddock, out pacing all the other horses.

●●●

A few more months passed and his coat, mane, and tail started growing back in, which was when I started to notice his curls. I had been curious about his past, but before now I had been too busy worrying whether or not he would pull through for the future. If he was in fact a Bashkir Curly like I suspected, maybe there would be documentation on his former life.

It took a while of hunting through old sale ads, Curly owner groups on social media, and scouring registries but I finally found a lead thanks to Lux’s distinct markings. A name! And a number! It was a breakthrough, maybe this person had some information about what happened to Lux. I took a deep breath and dialed the number. A soft female voice picked up on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Yes! Hello!” I chirped nervously, “I’m calling about a horse you may have owned, I don’t know if you can tell me anything.”

I told the woman my story with Lux, how I found him months ago at auction in horrible condition, and nursed him back to health. I could hear her over the phone gasp and weep softly.

“My, I can’t believe you found him! That was my granddaughter’s horse, she was going to train him as her polo pony! But at the time he was just a yearling and we had a terrible barn fire, absolutely terrible. The barn was destroyed, and when no one was able to find him we thought the worst had happened. He must have run away to safety, who knows what happened to him before you found him.” The relief was apparent in her voice, and I was thankful Lux had known a loving home before mine.

“I’ll send you his papers. We only have a few old hobby horses now, and my granddaughter is away at college. Lux belongs with you, but I’d be grateful if you sent us some pictures.” Before I could interject the woman continued with a chuckle. From inside the barn I could hear Lux nicker, as if he heard the good news too.

●●●

Nearly two years after I picked Lux up at the auction, he and I are gearing up to start a new hobby inspired by his original owners: polo. Lux surprises me every day with his inner fire, light footedness, and forgiving nature as I continue to train him under saddle. His mane never grew back in anything more than a few frizzy tufts, so it was like he was born to have the roached mane of a polo pony. Every day is something new for us, and every day I thank my lucky stars for giving this underdog a chance.

Owner: werepickle
Show Name: Master Of Tricks
Barn Name: Coyote
Gender: Stallion
Height: 14hh
Halter: gold and black
Prompt: -wip-

Left kit:
Name: Skyseed
Gender: Tom
Rank: Kit
Clan: Lightclan
Age: 2 moons

Right kit:
Name: Oakseed
Gender: Molly
Rank: Kit
Clan: Lightclan
Age: 2 moons

These two are gorgeous, thank you so much!!! so excited to see them grow <3

Could I get a growth on these? Totally forgot, sorry!!
Thank you <3

The kitten on the right has been grown here: [xx]

Username: rina.
Harem Page: xxx
Zebra Name: Garnet
Prompt:

these weary eyes wrote:These weary eyes, doth hide inside
Raging waves, and rising tides
These weary eyes, doth hide inside
Caged passion, and candle light

These weary eyes, doth hide inside
Broken reflections, and bloodied pride
These weary eyes, doth hide inside
Ruby red roses, and butterflies

These weary eyes, doth hide inside
A tired soul, and restless nights
These weary eyes, doth hide inside
Silent cries and dying lights

These weary eyes, dare to dream
Of loving days, and sweeter themes
These weary eyes, dare to dream
Of restful nights or eternal sleep

Username: Cloud'
Harem Page: Cloud's SZ herd
Zebra Name: Cath
Prompt: Cloud's SZ herd

They won't tell you fairytales
of how girls can be dangerous and still win
They will only tell you stories
where girls are sweet and kind
and reject all sin.
I guess to them
it's a terrifying thought,
a red riding hood
who knew exactly
what she was doing
when she invited the wild in.

'Girls of the wild' by Nikita Gill

Username: Penultima
Harem Page: Link
Zebra Name: Meadowlark
Prompt:

by Emily Dickinson wrote:"Hope" is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I've heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

Name: RavenFrost
Gender: Transmale
Rank:Warrior
Clan:CloverClan
Description: Black silver marbled tabby
with mid white and blue eyes
Age: 1 year and 8 moons
Edits: [NR] Scars; [C] ear placement,
ear tufts, whiskers; [UC] long tail
Owner: Inuyasha

Username: CertainNorth
Raptor Name: Resh
Raptor Pack: The Dark
Gender: Male
Age: 30 years

I'll be claiming this pup!

Owner: Penultima
Name: Sir Kimbley // "Kimbley"
Gender: Male

Traded to envious!

Thank you!!

Name: Desert Harbor's Thorns of the Black Rose || Viktor

I'll be keeping puppy A :3

Thank you so much Pen! I'll post on their page once I can come up with a name!

colony link: the chess board
prompt:

Colony Link: Lissidom
Prompt:

Colony Link: Mini%27s Storkies
Prompt:

Everything is Permitted at Boghound
Ezio
male

Thank you so much!

plays his board game and becomes his friend 🥺

Congrats to coffee.berry! I love your drawing

coffee.berry wrote:Username and ID #: coffee.berry #1008279
Den: Thunderspell Nest
Spikie's name: Cosmo
Spikie gender: Male
Prompt:
-snip-

Username: Fawntura
Raptor Pack: Forum/viewtopic.php?f=103&t=4733881

eats all of them

~Soft n Mushy~ wrote:eats all of them

mister mischief makeer mmm o.o

Username: wolfhaunt
Name: WH Dangerous Desires [Brutus]
Name Meaning(s): Dangerous --> Danger (What's Up Danger); Desires --> Brutus is a song about struggling with very dark desires such as wishing for a close friend's demise; Brutus --> villain arc song title = Brutus
Gender: DMAB
Prompt: 1) Hero arc - What's Up Danger - Blackway, Black Caviar
2) Villain arc - Brutus - The Buttress

I had a really hard time finding a "heroic" song, but What's Up Danger definitely has the right vibes! I imagine that Brutus was a brave and well-admired sort of daredevil, but someone close to him pushed him out of the "spotlight". He is torn between 1) accepting that a lifelong friend has turned him into a sidekick, 2) his desire for recognition and praise from others, and 3) being confused and driven mad by jealousy. To sum it up, he feels pushed aside by his long-time friend's accomplishments and is consistently fighting with resentment and guilt.

Username: Dr. Paine
Name: SSV’s Nectar and Pollen // May
Name Meaning(s): After lyrics in the second song.
Gender: Female
Prompt: (links to be added)

Before - Come Along
After - Solar Waltz

The lands surrounding Mistyoak are rife with rumour and mystery, the sort that burrows into the heart of any young pup with a spark of adventure. May was particularly troublesome in her youth, disobedient and utterly resistant to any guidance from people, even the other dogs never made much impression. Time was meant for adventure and play, nothing more. In the end, it wasn’t a matter of if- only when, that she’d make a run for it. She broke loose one early October evening, disappearing into the forest and eluding all search efforts through the fall and winter, as well as most of the spring.

She reappeared, fittingly enough, on the first of May. She was certainly larger, and her coat was dusted with pollen and flower petals. Otherwise, she was... fine. Perfect health, even perfectly well fed. Certainly something to raise many questions, but her people just decided to take the good fortune. The other collies tried to get the story from her, but to this day, May has never shared her experiences in the forest. She returned a quieter sort of dog, eager to learn and assist with work around the farms- especially anything involving bees.

(These songs have always felt paired to me, a wild adventure that gives way to somber realization of how one has to slow down and do some upkeep, otherwise there’ll be nothing at all!)

how have I only just now noticed this beauty :o

Username: Half Tree
Name:
Name Meaning(s): (optional)
Gender: Male
Prompt: